Padres win in grand fashion
SAN DIEGO – Manny Machado hit a grand slam with one out in the 10th inning and the San Diego Padres beat the Texas Rangers for the third straight game, 6-3 Wednesday night.
Machado’s 11th career grand slam and sixth walkoff homer came off Rafael Montero (0-1), whose only out in the 10th came on pinch-hitter Greg Garcia’s sacrifice.
Fernando Tatis Jr., who hit his MLB-leading 12th homer earlier, drew a walk off Montero to load the bases ahead of Machado, who hit his sixth homer of the season.
The Padres have hit grand slams in three straight games for the first time in club history.
Texas had gone ahead 3-2 in the top of the inning when Willie Calhoun’s dribbler in front of the plate off Tim Hill (1-0) scored Nick Solak with two outs.
Catcher Austin Hedges couldn’t get a grip on the ball and Solak scored. Calhoun was injured running out the single and was replaced by Scott Heineman.
Joey Gallo had tied the game at 2 with a homer off Matt Strahm leading off the ninth, his seventh. Gallo missed a grand slam by just a few feet to end the 10th.
The Padres beat the Rangers in Arlington on Monday and Tuesday.
Tatis hit a go-ahead shot off Lance Lynn with two outs in the third. Jurickson Profar homered for the second straight game against Texas, where he spent his first four full big league seasons, also off Lynn.
Lynn came in with an MLB-leading 1.11 ERA after a two-hit complete game at Colorado on Friday.
Tatis also leads MLB with 29 RBIs and 24 runs, and is tied for the lead with six steals.
Tatis has homered three times in this series, including twice for seven RBIs in Monday night’s 14-4 win at Arlington. Among them was a grand slam on a 3-0 pitch from Juan Nicasio with the Padres leading by seven runs, reigniting arguments over baseball’s “unwritten rules.” Tatis’ slam
sEE PADRES/B6